


you are a child of mine (and you bear the heart of a lion)

by VolxdoSioda



Series: FFXV/MHW [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV, Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Cor is not impressed, Gen, Noctis punches his problems away, blind!Cor, palico!Ardyn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 21:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20365696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VolxdoSioda/pseuds/VolxdoSioda
Summary: Noctis' first introduction to Astera is not what anyone expects.





	you are a child of mine (and you bear the heart of a lion)

Noctis is going to be sick. Between the motions of the boat (finest of the fleet his _ass_) and his nerves shot to hell from the realization of _he's actually made A-list rank and he's going to be joining the Fifth Fleet on their journey to the New World, _he's going to be violently, probably explosively sick. 

And if this redhead doesn't stop talking and shaking him, it's probably going to be all over him and his shiny new uniform.

"--think?"

"I think if you don't let him go, he's going to puke on you," his female counterpart puts in, evidently sensing - or prhaps seeing - the tragedy fixing to unfold. She comes over and gently rubs a hand up and down Noctis' spine, which... helps, actually. Gladio and Ignis both used to do that for him when he was nervous, and it's helped keep him calm before. Some of the nausea flees a bit, and he takes in a deep breath, and then another, like he knows he's supposed to do. That also helps.

"Here. Smithson, could you grab him a tankard of hot water and add in some of the jewel leaves from my pack? Throw in half of them." She hands her empty tankard to her Palico, who nods and hurries into the kitchen to do just that.

"What?!" the male A-lister squawks. "But those took forever to get!"

The girl silences him with a glare so cold it could freeze the room solid. "He's one of us. I'm not about to let the poor guy suffer. I'm sure we can find more in the New World."

"But it'll take _ages, _and you _know _I hate humidity--"

"Oh shut _up, _Zell, for the love of the Star."

The pair's calico Palico returns with a tankard between its claws, and hands it over to Noctis. It's warm to the touch, but he gingerly sips at it. The sweet taste of mint and something vaguely vanilla flavored runs down his throat. He gives it a moment to settle before braving another sip. 

"There we go. You don't look like you're about to keel over now," the girl says with a smile. She stops rubbing his back, and instead goes back to the other side of the table to sit beside Zell. "I'm Lilliana, by the by."

"Noctis," he gets out between sips. 

"Wait - Noctis? As in--" Zell starts, standing up, wide-eyed. Noctis shakes his head, and Lilliana tries desperately to shush Zell, but it's too late; people at the tables nearest them have heard the name, and already Noctis can see the realization hitting.

_Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum of Insomnia, Lucis. _Times like this he wished his dad hadn't thought to give him such a... interesting name. There are a thousand one kids named 'Cor' running around, but there's only one Noctis.

"Zell," Lilliana hisses, despairing.

To Zell's credit, he looks incredibly apologetic. Not that it does much good, as Noctis hears someone mutter, "Wait, the _Prince--" _and someone else go, "_\--the hell is Lucis sending the goddamned royalty for--" _and a third voice in the crowd, barely audible, going _"great, now we need to bow and scrape to these fuckers too--"_

It's no mere coincidence the Hunters of Eos never use their given names when becoming Hunters of Astera. The beginnings of Astera come from anti-royalty sentiments; a desire to go against the grain and live apart from the cities ruled by noble-blooded stock. And then gradually Astera had become geared more towards the study of stranger creatures, and then entire based around them. The roots lay changed, but the people within Astera had not forgotten. 

"Sorry," Zell whispers, and all Noctis can do is incline his head before someone storms up behind him and yanks him out of his seat. 

"Hey!" Lilliana yells, and instinct has Noctis reach up and grab the fist aimed at his face, and twisting it back behind the arm, before delivering a swift kick to the bastard's pants, launching him back the way he came. A harmless, if embarrassing move Cor showed him during his training sessions, when they'd discussed this kind of thing. A way to show off the attacker as little more than a stripling, reaching too far for his rank. 

"Listen," Noctis drawls, "Much as I'd love to stand here and put up with the anti-royal sentiment, I'm not here as a gods-damned Prince of Lucis. I'm here because I was sent for, and I'm smart enough to answer a summons."

That draws a few grumbling voices up short. It's one thing, if a royal invades the Hunters' space without invitation. But if someone has sent for him, it's because he has skills they need on the field, or knowledge. Something that makes him _useful, _not merely an invader.

"Who was it?" the man who attacked Noctis demands, shoving himself back to his feet. "Who sent for you?"

"None of your business, brat."

"I'm not a brat!"

"And yet you act like one," Noctis returns, letting his gaze roam the room and meeting those who are looking to pick fights. "You hear one measly name and jump up spoiling for a fight, like a bunch of punks on the training grounds."

A couple look away. Too many lock eyes with him and hold. Noctis doesn't blink, doesn't back down. 

"You're going to cause trouble," his attacker snarls. "That's all royal-bloods ever do. I don't give a damn who summoned you, you'll just--"

"I want to hear you say that when we land," Noctis interrupts. "Face to face, with the man who summoned me."

"Gladly. Then I can punch the bastard for sending for some tricked-up little bitch, and wasting a spot on the A-list for an actual Hunter!"

Noctis smiles. It's the small, cutting smile he directs at people too stupid to realize what they're saying. "Then I'll guide you to him myself when we land, how about that? In the meantime, keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself unless you want to lose them."

He turns back to his seat, and gradually everyone else does as well. A few stay near the walls or exits, but nobody's pretending to be calm anymore. They're watching him, or talking about him, or thinking about him. But they're not relaxed anymore, and even Zell and Lilliana drift off after a bit, evidently wanting to distance themselves.

He doesn't blame them, but _damn it, _this was not how he wanted his maiden voyage to the New World to go. 

The kitchen doors swing wide, and Noctis relaxes somewhat as his own Palico - a gift from Cor, specially chosen - swaggers out. A bipedal cat probably shouldn't be able to do that, but Ardyn's always been a little _different _than his siblings. Nevermind that he's one of the incredibly few, rare Palico's with a talent for magic. As soon as the testing at the Citadel had concluded, Noctis had offered him a bond, and Ardyn had accepted it. 

The Palico has a reputation for being mute, only talking in purrs, growls and hisses like a cat. What nobody knows is all the speaking he does is inside their minds.

_I leave you alone for five minutes and when I come out the entire crew is in the red. Whatever did you do, darling?_

_Absolutely nothing, _Noctis shoots back, sipping his drink as Ardyn slides into the seat Zell and Lilliana vacated. Under the dim lights of the ship, his fur looks more red than purple, and his yellow eyes seem to gleam with mischief. _Zell outed me. Everyone else heard, and here we are. I told them I'd lead them to Cor when we landed, so that one over there can punch him for putting "a tricked-up bitch" in place of a real Hunter on the ship._

Ardyn smiles, which on a Palico is a baring of teeth. _Oh, I do hope I'm around to see it happen. Have you your guard?_

They both pretend not to see several people tense as he reaches into the small bag at his side, pulling out a thick pad of leather crafted in the shape of a shoulder guard. Perfect for a Palico to sit, if they so choose. A couple snaps, and the guard is in place, and Ardyn slinks under the table, up his legs (mindful of his claws), and across the back of his neck to rest himself, a low purr vibrating out once he's settled.

_There. None of them will touch you until we reach landfall, at least. I shant be having my human get hurt over something so foolish as nobility. _

_Some of them still might try, _Noctis warns, eyes moving around the room again. He can already tell who wants a piece of him, and isn't afraid to go through a Palico to get it, even though the harm of a Hunter's Palico by another Hunter is highly illegal, and damn near the only thing that can result in an execution in this day and age.

Ardyn rubs their cheeks together, the deep bass of his purr soothing. _Then I shall make all the creatures of the New and Old Worlds seem very small by comparison. _

And this, Noctis thinks, is probably why Cor gave Ardyn to him. Because before their introduction, Ardyn was marked on the records as "ownerless feral Palico, too dangerous to live". Because Ardyn holds values that are different from either Palico or human, because he puts value in the life of his owner, rather than merely his happiness. And because he is territorial, possessive, and won't stop fighting until dead.

And even then, Noctis is fairly certain the Palico would simply roll over and get back up. 

Beneath his feet, the boat shudders suddenly. Noctis frowns and looks down, and Ardyn tightens his grip.

_Brace!_

Used to acting on a moment's notice, Noctis' hooks his fingers into the underside of the table moments before the boat is _slammed _by something, and people fall over. Above deck, voices ring out, and a horn sounds - the horn to abandon the ship. 

"Well, so much for an easy trip!" Noctis says as he gets to his feet and runs up the stairs, onto the deck. Outside, rain pours down in sheets while the wind howls and shoves against them. It's difficult to see anything, let alone know the direction he's going in. Already, the ship is tilting back, something coming up beneath them - have they run aground?

But no, the _ground _shakes, quakes, and then a _roar _splits the air, and--

_Elder Dragon! _Ardyn hisses in his mind, and Noctis doesn't think as the boat tilts all the way back; he grabs onto the banister and hangs on tight as others scream around him, falling down. _We have to reach it's head, Noct! If we can climb up--_

It takes Noctis a second to see them, but he does. Wyverns, circling the great head of the beast. Noctis doesn't have much, but he has a hookshot and line, and he's light enough to carry for one lone wyvern. 

_Leave the others, _Ardyn instructs, as Noctis glances back down, towards where the other Hunters fell. _If they aren't dead, they likely will be shortly, or they'll be smart enough to find their own way. Come along, we haven't the time!_

It's a climb Noctis won't be forgetting anytime soon; with the great volcano of a monster shaking and jerking with every step it takes, Noctis digs fingers into the black hide and scrambles up it's neck. By the time he reaches its head, he's panting, sweating, and his clothes are more or less ruined. He tears off what remains of his shirt into strips, and wraps them hastily around his hands in makeshift gloves, all the better to hold onto the hookshot line with. Ardyn double-checks the wrappings, and then jabs a claw at the sky.

_Get a running leap, and I'll tell you when and where to shoot. Don't miss, Noctis._

"I won't," he says out loud, and takes a few deep breathes before launching himself forward.

_Now, north-eastern, up, up!_

He shoots completely blind, and is rewarded by the aggravated squawk of a wyvern, and the line of the hookshot pulling taut as his feet go completely off the beast's head, and another grumbling moan splits the air. His stomach tightens, drops as he swings wild, made all the worse by the wyvern taking off like a bat out of hell.

It'll head for dry land, unwilling to falter in the air over open ocean, which is a death sentence of wyverns.

The sun begins to rise, and Noctis turns his head as Ardyn whispers _look, dearest, _in his mind. 

The creature is massive, and carries what looks like an entire volcanic ecosystem on its hide and back. It's great maw is hidden by long black tendrils, as smoke gushes from its mouth, and the craters on its back. 

Never in his life has Noctis ever seen anything so majestic, and so terrifying. 

_That is no mere Elder, _Ardyn offers as they fly. _That, I believe, is the Elder that Astera are currently looking to study. Zorah Magdaros, they call it. _

"What a name," Noctis breathes, and finally turns his gaze away to the land beneath them. A massive, tangled forest sprawls out before him, and with the sun rising, it's a breathtaking view. One Noctis will likely never see again. 

The wyvern begins to flag, so Noctis gently tries to tug it in the direction of the ground. It seems to do the trick, and as soon as he's close enough not to break anything, he lets the hookshot release and rolls his way to a stop. The wyvern takes off, squawking indignantly as it goes, leaving Noctis and Ardyn behind in strange new land with no idea of how to get to Astera.

_If I might make a suggestion? _Ardyn offers. _The boat in the tree with the red and gold of the First seems a good direction to wander._

Sure enough, in the far, far distance, he can barely make out the ship with the mark of the First on her sails stuck in a tree. 

"You're amazing," Noctis tells his companion as he starts walking.

_Oh I know, dear. But it's very kind of you to notice._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Holy shit, you're alive!"

"Thank you for noticing," Noctis replies drolly to Zell as he walks through the gate. Eyes are on him again, but this time they're all wide with shock. He looks up and meets the Field Commander's amused gaze. "Is Cor around?"

"Yeah, he's off pitching a fit to the old man about your disappearance. Want me to grab him?"

"If you would please. Tell him his anklebiter is done chewing on the wildlife and wants some of his time."

That sets the Field Commander to snickering, even as he turns and jogs off. 

Noctis sweeps the area, and finds his attacker, who is nursing a broken arm, a scowl on his face. "Well, you wanted to meet the guy responsible for summoning me, get up and come meet him."

"You're a lunatic if you think I'm punching that mad bastard."

"What, afraid?" Noctis demands. "But you'll lay hands on a man you've never met and know nothing of just because he's royal blood? Pathetic."

"My thoughts exactly."

Noctis looks up, and he can't keep a smile off his face if he tried. Even done up in Bone Armor, cloaked in the smells and skins of his foes, he would recognize Cor anywhere. "Cor."

"Are you well?" Cor comes up to him, reaching up to cup his face, gently turning him this way and that, fingers tracing his forehead, ears, nose, eyes. "Anything broken or bleeding I need to know about?"

Noctis carefully tucks his hands behind him. "Nothing a shower won't cure. Sorry for the late arrival and the scare; I had a bit of a run-in on the trip over."

"So we've heard. Nobody had eyes on the thing that rammed you."

"Zorah Magdaros, according to Ardyn. Big active volcano-looking thing, vines all across it's face."

Cor sighs softly. "Yes, that's about what we thought. Come along, I need to introduce you to the Commander, get you kitted up, and then get you on your feet. We've got a lot of injured, so our hands are few and far between."

The Commander turns out to be a dark-skinned man with silver hair cropped close to his chest, too many scars to count, and a sense of urgency surrounding him that puts Noctis at attention almost immediately. Around him stand various figures - Cor has shown him pictures of most of them, so he knows their names, ranks and what they do around base. The only ones he doesn't know are the men standing on this side of the table, the few able-bodied left of the Fifth Fleet."

"Thank you for coming," the Commander greets. "Now that everyone's here, I'd like to get something out of the way first. It has come to my attention that several of you may take issue with Noctis' presence among us. Let me be perfectly clear and frank on the matter - I don't give a damn what you want, or what you think. He is here because Cor has vouched for him, and more to the point, he has skills and traits that can offer us help when we are out in the wilds, dealing with monsters several times our size. To that end, he is no different than any other member of the Fifth, and I expect you all to act your age and deal with this fact. Anyone who can't, or won't, is to come to me. Anyone who assaults him in the future will be stripped of their rank and sent home in disgrace. This goes for anyone and everyone in Astera. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes sir," the Fifth chorus. If there's something sure to put a stop to the harassment, it's the thought of being sent home in disgrace. Even without being an A-lister, such a thing marks them for life, and everyone would know about it, because _nobody _goes home from the New World unless they're either retired, dead, or in disgrace.

The Commander nods, satisfied. "Noctis."

"Already got a mission in mind for me, I take it?"

"I do. The Jagras of the jungle have been acting up--"

"Are they lizards?"

"Reminiscent of iguanas, yes. Did you encounter them on your way?"

Noctis winces as he thinks of how he _encountered them. _"Ah, something like that?" he offers to the Commander. The man raises his eyebrows, and Cor's head tilts.

"...Noctis?"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? But they were gross and nasty, and wouldn't leave me alone. I didn't want Ardyn getting infected if he got bit."

The Commander is evidently capable of reading between the lines. He scans Noctis from head to toe, and his gaze lands sharply on where Noctis is hiding his hands behind his back. "Your hands."

It's clear from his tone it isn't a request.

Wincing, Noctis pulls his hands out from behind his back. There are several exclamations around him, most of them from his fellow Fifths. There's nothing broken, but most of his skin is torn and ripped up. It'll take time to heal, even if Noctis cleaned the wounds as best he could in the stream.

The Commander grimly looks at the ripped skin, the bloody knuckles, and sighs. "How many did you kill?"

"Sixteen, before they stopped coming. There was a big one too, but I ran when he tried to charge me."

"A Great Jagras appeared?" One of the leaders of the Resource Center, and one of the few women in the position of leadership, Simen, asks. "If we gave you a map, could you show us where you encountered it?"

"Yeah, probably." _I don't suppose you remember, Ardyn? _

_Underground, near that great canopy of trees. The blasted things nearly cornered us. _

A map is unrolled, and Noctis and Ardyn put their heads together retracing their path. "We landed here," Noctis mumbles softly. "So that would be the path we took that led into the canopy. There was a series of tunnels in there... here, maybe?"

"Were the tunnels connected?"

"Most likely. I really didn't stick around to explore. I cleared a path and left as quick as I could."

"Smart," The Commander says. "Great Jagras are different from their smaller kin in that they don't give up easily. You're lucky you weren't swallowed."

"It was too busy eating the dead bodies we left behind, I think."

"So you weren't able to collect any material?" The Second Fleet Commander Bhaltair asks. "Nothing of use?"

Noctis shakes his head. "My priorities were to escape, and reach here. Nothing else."

"Damn and blast," Bhaltair mutters. "First sighting in nearly two years, and its from a pup with no weapons. Damn it all to the bowels."

"Patience, Bhaltair," Cor orders. "I'll get him fitted and sent to the field as soon as he's got everything he needs. It's not his fault the Zorah threw him into the wilds, that he doesn't know Astera's ways yet."

Bhaltair settles back with a grumble, clearly disappointed but not willing to take it out on any of them. 

"So the Jagras issue is settled for now," the Commander says. "And until we have a determined location for the nest of the Great Jagras, we can't send anyone into that part of the forest. Cor, would you have a look?"

Cor nods. "Given he was the one who saw it, I'd like to request Noctis remain with me for the hunt. It'll also give him a chance to learn the forest a bit, and see all of what lurks in it. I can have him do a few gatherings, or bring you back samples if the research center needs anything."

"Honey," Simen offers. "We need samples of the wild honey used to make Mega Potions. Also mushrooms - the blue kind."

"Then there's your mission, Noctis."

Noctis nods. He's doubted from the start Cor was merely going to throw him into the wilds without showing him around first, but it feels nice to have it confirmed.

"Then for now, that's all. Welcome to Astera, Fifth Fleet. Here's hoping that with you on our side, we finally discovery why the Elder Dragons cross to this world. Dismissed!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"It didn't occur to you to _run_ from the Jagras when you encountered them?"

They're in Cor's private quarters, higher in the canopy. Closer to the edge of the wilds, where Noctis can hear the distant roars and shrieks of things. It's kind of comforting, in a way. Cor's room is covered with various bones and pelts, a few skulls hanging over his windows and doorway, and one over his bed that looks like nothing Noctis has ever seen - or truly _wants to see._

"You would have been disappointed if I did," Noctis returns as Cor sets a small tub on the low table between them. "You wouldn't have said it, but I know you would have been."

"I would have been more disappointed if you'd gotten your idiotic ass eaten because you were trying to impress me," Cor says, no venom behind the words as he throws in herbs and various liquids before pouring a pitcher of hot water over the whole mess. "Hands."

Noctis can's suppress a wince with the first sting of the healing herbs. Cor holds his wrists firm, keeping his hands pinned as the water does its work, and slowly begins to repair the damaged skin. Ardyn is on top of a nearby bookshelf, while Cor's own Palico, a scrappy black lynx type with one torn ear, is sorting through Cor's paperwork at his desk. 

By the time Noctis' hands are fully healed, the water in the tub has taken on a faint reddish tint. Cor lets his hands go and throws a towel at him, which he uses to dry his hands while Cor takes the tub to a nearby window and dumps it out. 

"Next time you encounter something like that," Cor tells him. "I expect you to use your brains, and the training I gave you. Just because you think you can doesn't always mean you should."

"I know," Noctis answers. Now that he's calmed down some, there's a creeping sense of shame to his actions. He's done good by getting rid of a problem without being asked, but Cor is right in that his method was pure madness. He's lucky he got away with only skinned hands this time. 

"In the morning," Cor says, tossing a spare shirt and sleeping pants at him. "We'll head out for the jungle. I wake at dawn, and I expect you to as well. No more sleeping in. You're up with the sun, and down before it. Being exhausted might cost you your life out on the field. Get some rest."

"There's only one bed."

"I'm not going to be here." Cor takes some papers that his Palico hands him. "The bed is yours. That alarm clock on the side is meant to be used. Dawn here is 4 AM. Set it accordingly. Get dressed when you wake, and get your ass to the Canteen. I'll inform the Chef you're coming."

"Should I come back here, after?"

"No, I'll come find you when I'm ready. Stay there."

"Okay. Night Cor. Sorry."

"I don't want apologies, Noctis. I want proof that you learn from your mistakes. Pull this kind of stuff tomorrow, and you won't need to worry about what's lurking out there in the jungles, because I'll have you scrubbing Astera top to bottom with a toothbrush and bucket for months before I let you out again. Good night."

_Well, _Ardyn remarks when the door clicks shut, and a few moments of silence have passed. There's no sound of Cor leaving, but there never is. Cor's learned to be utterly soundless when he wants. _That was certainly one hell of a 'thank you for staying alive'. I wonder what's put his tail in such a knot._

"He's just worried, Dyn," Noctis sighs, slipping beneath the covers. He does as Cor asked, and sets the alarm for four. "Don't let me oversleep, okay? I mean it. Bite me if you have to, or claw me up, but don't let me oversleep. Cor will kill me."

_Yes, yes, I solemnly swear there will be no more beauty sleep for His Little Highness. _Ardyn jumps down to land on the bed, waiting until Noctis is settled before draping himself across his chest, and staring up another one of those rumbling purrs that settles Noctis down in seconds. _Well, we have our orders. Rest, and then the Canteen first thing at dawn. Sleep well, Noctis._

"You too, Ardyn." 


End file.
